From the family treasure tree to build an eternal family

Chapter 97 Merits and Demerits
day.

The farmhands are busy working in the fields.

Xu Xiaoan directed and supervised the farmhands' work from the side, while playing with Xu Zhong'er.

His eldest son, Xu Zhongyi, is five years old.

My second son, Xu Zhong'er, will turn three in a few days.

“Zhong’er, Zhong’er, your father is the most ordinary among his brothers. You and your brother must make us proud and produce a talent for our Xu family.”

Xu Xiaoan never said it to others, but he actually envied his older and younger brothers.

His older brothers were all successful, but he was the most ordinary.

Even the youngest, Xu Xiaohou, gradually showed his talent, which only made the fifth son seem unremarkable.

At first, he was determined and practiced stance training diligently.

While others' progress in practicing stance training was rapid, his progress was as slow as a snail's pace.

Others who took the Five Elements Herbal Decoction experienced significant benefits.

He took the Five Elements Herbal Decoction, but it was like drinking plain water, with very little effect.

Over time, he could only accept his fate: he was not destined to practice martial arts or cultivate immortality, even though he knew that the Five Elements Stance Technique could lead to immortality after reaching the Innate Realm.

It's not that he doesn't want to, it's that he can't do it.

Although he wasn't particularly capable, he was filial, staying in the village to manage the farmland, helping his fourth brother brew wine, and occasionally returning home to visit his parents.

"Father... um..."

Three-year-old Xu Zhong couldn't understand his father's complicated words, and pointed to the grasshoppers jumping in the grass in the field.

Xu Xiaoan swiftly grabbed a grasshopper and teased his son, "This one bites! Here it comes, ooh!"

Xu Zhong'er was so frightened that he waved his hands and ran around in small, shuffling steps.

In the distance, Dahei lay prone on a mound of earth in the field, gazing in the direction of Xu Zhong'er. Two unfamiliar figures had been loitering in the village these past few days, secretly observing Xu Zhong'er, which had aroused Dahei's suspicion.

Having lived in the village for so many years, the two people smelled unfamiliar; they weren't from the village.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Wang Yue was dressed in coarse linen clothes, wearing a straw hat to shield her from the sun, with a burlap sack tied around her waist, and her body was slightly hunched.

They looked no different from the farmhands and farmers in the village.

His primary target was not Xu Zhong'er, but Da Hei.

When he and his brother were wandering around several nearby villages, Dahei often noticed them and barked at them.

"A half-dead old dog, yet it's quite alert."

He thought to himself, and seeing that no one was around, he stealthily approached from behind Big Black.

Big Black is too old; his sense of smell and hearing have severely deteriorated, otherwise he wouldn't have failed to detect the bad guys who were attacking him.

As Wang Yue approached, just as Da Hei finally noticed her and turned around, she pounced on him and wrapped her arm around Da Hei's neck.

"Woo~~"

In no time, Big Black became motionless and silent.

Wang Yue furtively looked around before dragging Da Hei into the dense grass. This way, by the time Da Hei was discovered, the two brothers would have already escaped far away.

"We're just waiting for my brother to make his move."

This time, he and Wang Nian were smarter and used strategy instead of acting recklessly.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out in the distance, and thick black smoke rose into the air.

Someone shouted, "Fire!"

"Whose woodpile is on fire!"

"..."

Xu Xiaoan looked in the direction of the smoke; it was the row of houses where his family's farmhands lived.

"It looks like our house? Quick, quick, let's go back and put out the fire!"

He quickly called out to the farmhands in the field, and a group of them rushed towards the fire.

At first, he didn't forget his son, but the place where the fire was burning was dangerous and crowded, making it inconvenient to bring his son close.

"You stay right here and don't run around, understand?"

Xu Xiaoan thought everyone in the village was an acquaintance, and his son was here; he wouldn't get lost. He was careless; he didn't realize the fire was a ploy to distract him.

"Ah."

Xu Zhong'er's attention was entirely focused on the grasshopper in his hand.

"Quickly, put out the fire!"

Because the fire was discovered early, everyone worked together to water it and quickly put it out.

"That's strange, how did this place catch fire?"

Xu Xiaoan looked at the half-burnt woodpile with a puzzled expression.

To prevent fires, the firewood stacks are always piled up separately, with nothing around them.

He vaguely sensed that something was wrong, glanced up at the direction of Xu Zhong'er in the distance, and then froze.

Just moments before, Xu Zhong'er was standing there.

Now, the person is gone!

"Isn't it?"

A terrible thought arose in Xu Xiaoan's mind, which made his legs go weak.

He ran a few steps faster and shouted, "Son? Zhong'er! Zhong'er!"

He hoped his son had simply wandered off to play in some corner and was out of his sight.

Unfortunately, no one responded, and his worst fears came true.

"Where's my son? Have you seen him? Everyone, please help me find him!"

Xu Xiaoan quickly sought help from his farmhands and nearby villagers.

"Master, wasn't your son just over there?"

"Huh? That's strange."

"Everyone, search quickly, just in case we've run into human traffickers."

The group split up to help with the search, and soon more and more villagers joined in.

Xu Xiaoan realized the enormity of his mistake and rushed back to his old family home.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Wang Yue hurried along with her head down, carrying a sack on her shoulder.

"Someone!"

Having finally succeeded, he was in a panic with a child, and when he saw a figure ahead, he quickly took a detour.

He took this detour several times and soon got lost, unable to find the meeting point he had agreed upon with his brother.

Seeing that someone was walking towards him, and knowing he couldn't avoid them, he remembered his brother's advice to use his brain and, in a moment of quick thinking, slowed down.

The man was a farmer in his forties.

Wang Yue looked up, mimicking the local accent, and greeted him with a smile: "Brother, have you eaten?"

"?"

The man, assuming it was a distant villager he didn't know well, replied, "Yeah, I've already eaten. What are you doing here?"

"I'll buy a piglet and raise it at home."

"That's good, pork prices have gone up recently."

After exchanging a few casual words, Wang Yue left.

The farmer was still wondering which fellow villager she was from and which village she came from. After Wang Yue walked away, he dared not walk on the main road or the main road, and only dared to take the narrow path, so he couldn't find his way in this poor and remote place for a while.

"Where exactly was the place I arranged to meet my brother?"

He dared not ask anyone for directions, and just carried the sack aimlessly towards places with few people.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The old residence of the Xu family.

Xu Xiaoyun specially returned from the county town to find Xu Xiaohou: "Father, isn't Liu Zi here?"

"He hasn't been back for a while. Why are you looking for him? What did he do wrong?"

Xu Fugui noticed that Xu Xiaoyun seemed preoccupied.

“Father, I will never spoil him again. He dared to buy twenty Qi and Blood Pills on credit without my knowledge. That’s 1,600 taels of silver.”

In the past, Xu Xiaoyun taking out this amount of money would not have been a big deal.

Yun'an Tavern recently suffered two large losses, making this sum of 1,600 taels of silver particularly important.

"Sixteen hundred taels?"

Xu Fugui was surprised, then showed an expression of expectation: "I told you and San Gou not to spoil him, otherwise he would cause a big disaster sooner or later. You are usually so frugal, but you are very generous with Liu Zi."

"Let's take this opportunity to gather you brothers here and have a proper discussion about the sixth son's problem."

In the past, Xu Xiaohou was not very powerful, and no matter how much trouble he caused, he could not cause any major disaster.

Now that he is getting older and stronger, his personality has become less stable and remains the same as before.

"He does need some tempering. He's the most unruly of us brothers. But what can we do? He was born in a good era."

Xu Xiaoyun sighed, saying that all of them had suffered hardships since childhood, except for Xu Xiaohou, who was born into a well-off family.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps rushed into the courtyard from afar.

It was Xu Xiaoan. Seeing his father and fourth brother there, he panicked and fell to the ground, crying out, "Father, fourth brother, something's happened! Something terrible has happened!"

"Say!"

The two men felt a chill in their hearts when they saw Xu Xiaoan's appearance.

"The child is lost, Zhong Er is lost!"

Upon hearing this, both of them were stunned. This was a matter of utmost importance!
"I was playing with my child by the field when suddenly a fire broke out, so I put him down next to me. In the blink of an eye, he was gone..."

Xu Xiaoan stammered as he explained.

Even the usually mild-mannered Xu Fugui couldn't help but yell, "What kind of father are you? Careless and stupid! You can't even keep an eye on your child! What are you standing there for? Hurry up and look for him..."

This is a serious matter; now is not the time to question Xu Xiaoan.

"Siyun, hurry and find Da Niu, he has a lot of men. Also, San Gou and Liu Zi, the more the better, quick..."

While Xu Fugui was speaking, Xu Xiaoyun had already rushed out the door.

Almost everyone was mobilized to search for people, and Xu Fugui even sent his maids out to help.

Two hounds, a large greyhound and a short-tailed hound, also followed along in the search.

Jiazhen was resting in her room when she was disturbed and learned that her child was missing. Overwhelmed with anxiety, she almost fainted. Xu Fugui, worried that she would become ill from worry, quickly comforted her, telling her not to panic and that they would definitely find the child.

Every corner of Baihe Village was searched, but only Dahei, who had been killed by Wang Yue, was found.

When Xu Fugui saw Dahei's corpse, he was so angry that he cursed inwardly.

Soon the news spread throughout the village and to several nearby villages, and soon someone provided a clue: the person who set fire to the woodpile was a thin, small man.

There was also a tall, strong man carrying a burlap sack as he passed by.

With definite news, the search team had a target.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

When Xu Xiaohou rushed home, he was unaware of what had happened at home.

He lost his second sparring match with Kong Sen and was feeling frustrated. He also had to think about how to deal with his father and fourth brother when he got home.

"I wonder if Fourth Brother has noticed yet?"

"Now that I've broken through to the Innate Realm, I shouldn't be punished too harshly, right?"

He realized that he wasn't wasting money, but using it to improve his abilities.

Riding his horse absentmindedly, before he even reached Baihe Village, he saw a group of people searching for something along the roadside.

"Brother Six!"

Someone saw Xu Xiaohou.

"This is what you are doing?"

"You don't know? Your fifth brother's child has been kidnapped by human traffickers."

"what?!"

Xu Xiaohou was shocked and quickly inquired about the details. After learning the general characteristics of the two human traffickers, he changed direction and rushed down a side road.

He didn't know where to look, but he was anxious.

That's his nephew; he has to find him no matter what.

"Damn human trafficker, don't let me see you again!"

Anger surged within him.

He searched aimlessly until dusk, when even his horse was too tired to walk.

He dismounted, not caring whether the horse could find its way home, and continued walking forward.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Taking advantage of the darkness, Wang Yue continued carrying the sack further into the distance.

He found himself being searched for, and once almost got discovered, so he found a secluded place to hide.

"My dear brother, where are you?"

He walked along, talking to himself.

“Child, I’ll find you a good buyer. Their family background is definitely no worse than yours.”

Just then, a figure walked towards us.

This time, Wang Yue didn't have time to dodge and could only try to remain calm.

Xu Xiaohou saw the tall, strong figure and quickly approached, noticing the sack he was carrying on his shoulder.

"stop!"

He rebuked him sternly.

Wang Yue used the same trick again: "Aren't you so-and-so's son? Don't you recognize me? I gave your family a gift before. Where are you going so late?"

What's in the sack?

"The piglets I bought..."

Before he could explain, Xu Xiaohou reached out to examine the sack.

Realizing she was about to be exposed, Wang Yue dropped the sack and ran.

Xu Xiaohou quickly took the package, opened it, and saw that it was indeed his nephew, Zhong'er. Previously, Wang Yue had used too much sleeping pills, killing the child; this time, less was used, and the child was already showing signs of waking up.

"Human traffickers, die!"

With Xu Xiaohou's innate strength, he caught up with Wang Yue in a few steps and punched her in the back.

A punch imbued with internal energy, carrying Xu Xiaohou's rage, sent Wang Yue flying. His chest and lungs were shattered, and he was dead.

Xu Xiaohou quickly turned around and picked up the child: "Zhong'er, Zhong'er?"

Seeing that he was still a little dazed, they carried him home.

My family must be frantic with worry.

(End of this chapter)